Spring Festival Feasts

Glutinous rice with red bean paste rolled in soybean flour, three-layer yellow-white-red

Changbai Mountain forest frog oviduct stewed with rock sugar—a prized herbal delicacy

Whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, slow-cooked with Jilin ginseng and jujubes

Fish head steamed under a blanket of vibrant red chopped chili, the face of Hunan cuisine

Crayfish partying with dried chilies and Sichuan pepper

Deep-fried glutinous rice balls coated in sugar, crispy outside, chewy inside

Glutinous rice balls thrown against a brass plate, three bangs, then coated in soybean flour and brown sugar

Delicate dumplings filled with fresh sea urchin roe and pork—a coastal luxury

Locally farmed abalone slow-braised in soy and oyster sauce until tender

Translucent wrapper revealing fresh whole shrimp, king of the four great dim sum

Paper-thin rice noodle rolls drizzled with soy sauce

Li River fish braised with beer, tomatoes, and green peppers

Taro and pork belly slices steamed to melting perfection

Water chestnut starch jelly, translucent, refreshingly sweet and crisp

Guizhou red sour soup with whole river fish, tomato and wild pepper fermented to tangy perfection

Russian-style large bread, tangy, soft, and fluffy

Everything stewed in a giant iron pot—ribs, chicken, fish, with flatbread stuck to the side

A legendary stew of sea cucumber, fish maw, chicken, and ham — named after the Qing dynasty statesman

Hohhot-style shaomai with paper-thin wrappers, generously filled with mutton and scallion

Jianshui purple pottery steam pot chicken, pure original flavor

Rice cakes grilled over charcoal, spread with sauce and wrapped around a fried dough stick

Thousand-layer flaky steamed buns with ham and sugar filling

Roasted highland barley flour mixed with yak butter tea — the staple food of the Tibetan plateau

Hand-pleated Tibetan dumplings filled with yak meat and onion, served with spicy chili chutney

Small clay pots of nourishing soup slow-steamed with pork, lotus root, and Chinese herbs

Fresh fish head from China's largest freshwater lake, braised with chili and tofu

Duck fat kneaded into dough, layer upon layer of crispiness

Plump mussels steamed open in Qingdao's own beer with ginger and scallion

Hand-chopped mackerel filling in thin-skinned dumplings, a Qingdao seaside tradition

Nanxiang-style soup dumplings, thin skin, rich broth, 18 pleats

Mugwort-infused glutinous rice wrapped around red bean paste, a Qingming must-eat

Century-old dumpling shop known for delicate wrappers and juicy fillings

Ribs, chicken, or fish stewed in a giant iron cauldron with flatbread on the sides

Guangming Farm red-braised pigeon, crispy skin and tender meat

Home of oysters for a thousand years, Shajing fresh oysters, plump and succulent

Seasoned beef roasted over open flame, sliced thin—rustic and smoky northern fare

Mandarin fish cut and fried into a squirrel shape, draped in sweet and sour sauce

Soup dumplings filled with crab roe and crab meat, an autumn-only delicacy

Sticky rice sausage wrapping a pork sausage, a night market must-eat

Steamed Wuchang bream, you've drunk the waters of the Yangtze

Tandoor-baked lamb-filled buns, crispy skin, fragrant meat

Tandoor-baked flatbread with sesame, can be stored for months

Layered glutinous rice and red dates steamed into sweet, soft bliss

Honeycomb-shaped egg waffles, crispy outside and soft inside

Charcoal-roasted goose, crispy skin, tender meat, and rich juices

Bouncy fish balls + curry sauce, king of Hong Kong street food

Steamed glutinous rice cake studded with Ningxia's famed goji berries, lightly sweet